Who Is The New Mrs Queen?
by kate10011
Summary: What if Robert Queen wasn't a corrupt business man? What if he was a devoted father, and a good role model for his children? What if there was no Queen's Gambit, and Oliver Queen went to college?
1. Chapter 1

**What if Robert Queen wasn't a corrupt business man? What if he was a devoted father, and a good role model for his children? What if there was no Queen's Gambit, and Oliver Queen went to college?**

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><p><strong>Authors Note:<strong> Basically this is an AU story that's been buzzing around in my head for awhile. I've left somethings unexplained in this chapter, but I'll make them clearer later on. A few things just for now: Moira and Robert have been divorced for a while (I might bring her back later on), Malcolm Merlyn has been gone for a while (haven't decided if he's dead/in jail/missing yet) and Tommy has been raised by Robert. Felicity's general backstory remains the same: Raised by a single mother in Vegas, went to MIT, only main difference is in this story she and Oliver are the same age! (I may add in more of her backstory after this week's episode!) Oh, and Tommy is very much alive! (No Laurel yet, not sure what to do with her, all suggestions welcome.)

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><p><strong>Who Is The New Mrs. Queen?<strong>

Oliver Queen had been talked about in every weekly and monthly tabloid from the time he was sixteen until he vanished at age 24. Rumours circulated for months about what had happened to Starling City's favourite troublesome son. Every theory from a doomsday cult in Idaho to alien abduction to Robert Queen banishing his son to a Queen Consolidated office in Japan, had been thoroughly debated in every blog, newspaper and glossy magazine in the city. So when he mysteriously reappeared six years later, somewhat tanner, more muscular, with a significantly better hairstyle and a designer Italian suit, the press went into meltdown. And THAT wedding ring! Everyone in Starling City wanted to know, where the hell had Oliver Queen been all this time? And who was the new Mrs Queen?

Felicity Smoak arrived twenty minutes early for her first day as a junior IT tech at Queen Consolidated. Lucky she did, because security was expecting all graduate hires to arrive at the same time and getting her ID took long enough without having to wait in line. Her new supervisor gave her a brief tour of the department, before shoving her in a cubicle and telling her to sort out whatever issues people called her about. Apparently, Michael Johnston didn't care if his new IT tech was personally hired by Robert Queen, or that she had graduated top of her class from MIT.

By lunchtime, Felicity had helped half a dozen people who couldn't open their email/find a document they SWEAR they had saved/turn their computer on at all, and she'd upgraded the seriously defective computer in her own cubicle.

"Hi, Felicity?" A young girl asked.

"Hi" Felicity smiled, "Do I know you? Sorry, that was rude. What I meant to say was, have we been introduced? I met a lot of people this morning…"

"That's okay, I'm Anna" The girl cut in, "We didn't meet, but it's the first time in two years IT has had another woman, I'm Michael's EA."

"Oh, hi" Felicity replied.

"I thought maybe you might want to get some lunch" Anna asked, "Us girls have to stick together down here."

It turns out that even old business men read the tabloids, Oliver discovers after his third meeting of the day ends having spent more time avoiding questions about his personal life than talking business.

"Need a break?" Thea asks, waltzing into his office judging a tray of drinks and an over-sized take-away bag.

"Shouldn't you be in school" Oliver replies, leaning back in his oversized, yet extremely comfortable, desk chair.

"Lunch break" She replies, setting the drinks and burgers on his coffee table, "So how surprised are the snotty old men that you went and got a business degree?"

"More interested in the fact I got married" He replies, "I missed these burgers."

"Well maybe you should have come home for holidays" She replies, with a mouth full of her own burger, "Or you could have taken me with you to Europe!"

"One time Speedy, I didn't take you with me one time!"

"Yeah, and you proposed, and I missed it!" She pouted, "And you told Tommy before me!"

"Tommy guessed, technically I told you first."

"Well, I see I'm late to the festivities" Robert Queen announced, walking into his son's office after overhearing his children arguing in the hallway. "I wouldn't feel too bad about missing the proposal Thea, I found out he was engaged from the House Manager."

"I apologised!" Oliver exclaimed, "It's not my fault Tommy has a big mouth and Raisa can't keep a secret!"

"How was your meeting with Applied Sciences?" Robert asked, unwrapping his own burger, "Give you any trouble?"

"Too busy gossiping" Oliver replied, "I'm still going over reports, I want to run some changes by you."

"You need to hire an EA." Robert told him.

"I'll find one." Thea offered, "There's a few women who've applied for the program that finished the admin course."

"Done, have someone start by the end of the week" Robert answered, "Where is your mother?"

"South of France, probably sunning herself with another toy-boy half her age." Thea replied, "Do I really have to spend Thanksgiving with her this year, I'm basically 18, I should be able to decide for myself!"

"One more Thanksgiving" Oliver cajoled, "She'll probably forget about it anyway, like Christmas and Easter, every year since you were ten."

Anna, it turns out, was a single-mother from the Glades who had been hired as part of a program Thea Queen had championed to give disadvantaged people a chance to find employment. She was also a lot like Felicity, raised by a family that didn't have much, trying to make a better life for herself. Lunch went surprisingly well, Felicity thought, she managed to contain her rambling, and may have found a friend in the department.

When they returned, Felicity was called to a meeting with her supervisor on the executive floor. Robert Queen was waiting for them and he didn't look happy, in fact in didn't even wait from them to sit down before he began.

"Mr Johnston, you are aware that Ms Smoak wrote her thesis on computer terrorism and corporate espionage?" Robert Queen asked, glaring at his Head of IT. "And that I hired Ms Smoak personally, in order to programme Queen Consolidated's IT security according to that thesis?"

"Yes Sir" Mr Johnston replied. "But, Landon Young is fair more experience, he has been working on a new program for six months."

"That Ms Smoak decrypted and broke through in under thirty minutes" Robert replied angrily, "Mr Young will return to his role as an IT assistant, immediately. And Ms Smoak will begin programming. Disobey my orders again Mr Johnston and you can pack your desk."

"Sir, with all due respect" Mr Johnston began,

"Pack your desk" Robert Queen cut him off, "Security will escort you."

Two guards appear from the far corner of the room within seconds and escorted the now former Head of IT to pack his office.

"Take the rest of the day Felicity" Robert Queen told the startled woman, "You start as my head programmer first thing tomorrow"

"Yes sir" Felicity replied.

"There's no one else here Felicity." Robert smiled, "It's Dad, remember. Or has your husband told you to call me Old Man?"


	2. My Wife Is Very Much Alive

**Author's Note: Thank-you for all the kind messages/follows/favourites after the first chapter. Updates typically take me a while, more backstory in this chapter, plus Laurel and Tommy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: My Wife Is Very Much Alive<strong>

Tommy Merlyn was ten years old when he moved into Queen Mansion. A year earlier his mother had been murdered, six months later the subsequent police investigation revealed the corruption within his father's company and personal affairs that his mother had been murdered to silence. Robert Queen became Tommy's legal guardian and assigned Walter Steele to take over as CEO of Merlyn Global, the company Tommy would one day inherit. Only weeks later his father was murdered during a prison riot.

He and Oliver had been inseparable since they began living together, through high school and their wild years until they both went off to college at 24. It hadn't been planned that way, the two of them at been planning to live outrageously, without responsibilities, thanks to their respective trust funds. However, Robert blew that plan out of the water when he revealed to the both of them that full access to their trusts at 25 required them to have a college degree. With barely any funds left the two of them had been counting down the months until more cash would be handed to them. Instead Robert proposed a new plan, he would provide them with an apartment, close to the university of their choosing, and a monthly allowance, provided that they stay out of trouble and pass all of their classes. Tommy had chosen Harvard, and Oliver, MIT.

Tommy didn't manage quite the disappearing act Oliver had pulled off, mostly due to his many different fleeting relationships with models and B-list actresses which kept him in the tabloids most of the time. He did manage to abide by Robert's rules and graduate college, before returning to Starling City. Despite Walter Steele's best efforts, in the wake of his father's corruption scandal, and years of law enforcement investigations, Merlyn Global eventually collapsed. It had been subdivided and sold off in pieces, most of which was brought by Queen Consolidated, of which Tommy owned substantial stocks in return. Robert had offered him a job, but Tommy decided to forge his own path, instead renting an old Queen Consolidated factory, which he was building into a nightclub. He had made one hire so far, a street kid named Roy Harper, who he found out had been occasionally living in the abandoned factory on colder nights. Roy had some experience bar tending, but more than that, Tommy liked the idea of having a protégée, so he'd named the kid Assistant Manager. So long as he kept his hands off Thea.

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><p>Felicity's first (albeit shortened) day at Queen Consolidated had been quite dramatic. She wondered how much of it her husband already knew about and how much she would have to fill him in on when he got home. With a few extra hours up her sleeve, she decided that she would make a home-cooked dinner for once. She'd first started dating her husband as a second-year graduate student, who worked two jobs to support herself, between work and study she mostly lived on takeout. He couldn't cook to save his life so he did as well. When they moved in together, their habits didn't really change; there order was just larger. Her husband was under no illusion that he was marrying a homemaker, and knew he had to do 50% of the housework. But they both deserved a home-cooked meal once in a while.<p>

Busying herself in the kitchen, Felicity wondered what the IT department would think now that Michael Johnston had been fired. Robert assured her that finding a new Head of IT won't take very long, he had been looking around for a while, in preparation of the day he finally fired the hapless executive. In fact, by the time Felicity left the office twenty minutes later, his assistant had already arranged a dinner with his preferred candidate.

"Honey, I'm home" A male voice yelled out from the entrance way.

"Very funny Tommy" Felicity called back, as the man himself wandered into her kitchen, "I didn't expect you tonight."

"Just looking for Ollie" Tommy replied, stealing a taste of Felicity's pasta sauce, "Tell me this has a to-go option?"

"I'll make up a container" Felicity smiled, "What sort of debauchery are you looking to involve my husband in this time? Is it legal? Will he get arrested, again? That really wouldn't be good for Queen Consolidated. The press have been all over Oliver since he got home. Not literally, I don't think, he would have mentioned that. Probably….."

"Felicity" Tommy smiled, "Relax, wanted to see if he was free to go to the Rockets game this weekend."

"That's what a text message is for" Oliver said, wandering into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around Felicity from behind, "How was your first day?"

"I had a meeting with your father, he fired the Head of IT" Felicity told him, "Did he tell you?"

"Ollie, Rockets game, yay or nay?" Tommy butted in. "Saturday, 1:30? Do you need permission from the Mrs?"

"That sentence is the reason you're not married." Oliver chided him, "Felicity and I have the Glade Memorial Gala, Saturday night, take Speedy."

"Fine" Tommy replied, "Go to your fancy gala"

"Have fun at your game" Felicity called as he grabbed the container and headed towards the door.

"We both know you'll see me many times before then Smoak" Tommy called, closing the front door a little louder than necessary.

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><p>As promised, Thea had found Oliver a new executive assistant from her charity program for disadvantaged women. Laurel Lance was around the same age as him, although she looked much older. She had been a lawyer, until she was disbarred when it was discovered that she was an alcoholic and was abusing prescription pain medication. After that, she spiralled downwards, defaulting on her mortgage, losing her apartment and her car, living out of women's shelters and losing herself to addiction. Her sister Sara, a martial-arts instructor, had forced her into a treatment program, after which they recommended her to Thea's program. Oliver was not what she had expected in a boss, not only did her decline her offer to fetch him coffee, an hour later HE went and got them both a coffee. He organised his own lunches, didn't mention his dry-cleaning or buy flowers for his wifemother/sister/mistress (Not that she suspected he had a mistress, he probably didn't). Instead all she had to do was answer phones, book meetings, make travel arrangements, and keep his work life in order.

At the end of her first day, Laurel thought she had done pretty well. Except she had one burning question. Her boss was obviously married, he wore a wedding ring, and she swore she saw "Your Wife" on the caller ID of his phone. But he didn't mention anything, or have personal photos of his family in his office. She mentioned it to her sister at dinner that night, but Sara typically told her to stay out of it, he'd only been her boss for a day and she really needed this job.

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><p>Felicity started her second day by being moved into her brand-new office so that she could begin recoding the QC security programs in peace. Her predecessor, who had been sent back to his old cubicle (nearly her new cubicle), clearly had no programming experience. Not only had he made very little progress in six months, but what he had done was not very good and she found several "Coding for Dummies" style manuals on the hard-drive. Very quickly she lost herself in her work, if it wasn't for Anna stoping by on her way out of the office for the night, she wouldn't have even realised the time. She decided to try and finish the piece of code that she was writing, and before she knew it, was sneaking through her front door at 9:30.<p>

Oliver, for his part, didn't seem all that surprised about her being home so late. He was stretched out on the couch in a comfy pair of sweat pants (no shirt, but that wasn't a surprise), watching Sports Centre. Quietly leaving her bag, keys and shoes in the hallway, Felicity made her way into their living room and curled up beside her husband on the couch.

"Long day?" He asked quietly, eyes not leaving the TV screen.

"Writing code," She replied, he had been the one to make sure that she ate, drank and slept while she was writing code for projects during their university days. He knew how easy it was for her to lose track of time if people didn't remind her.

"Forgot all about your husband" He teased, threading his fingers through her hair, "Did you eat?"

"I had a burger on the way home" She yawned, "Thai place was closed."

"There's leftovers in the fridge" Before he could say anything else, Felicity had ripped herself out of his arms and practically ran towards the fridge.

"Best husband ever!" She yelled, obviously she'd found the Satay Chicken skewers he'd left just for her.

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><p>When Felicity woke the next morning, Oliver was already long gone. She couldn't really find it in herself to be disappointed about that though, knowing he was at the gym. She was a little too fond of the six (eight?) pack he had going on. Padding through to the kitchen in only Oliver's t-shirt, she heated up the last of the Thai leftovers for breakfast, quickly changed and put on some make-up, before leaving for the office.<p>

She noticed the unusual amount of people, mostly women, milling around in groups in the lobby on her way into the office. Ignoring it, she took the lift to her floor and settled in to her office for the day. Turning on her computer and loading half a bag full of snacks into the top drawer of her desk. A knock interrupted her from her thoughts.

"Have you heard the news?" Anna asked, "Isn't it awful?"

"What news?" Felicity asked, "About Michael being fired? It is awful, I hope he finds another job, or maybe he has a really good savings fund, then he might not have to work again."

"No, about Oliver Queen?" Anna asked, "Michael's yesterdays news, most of the guys are actually pretty glad. Except Landon, but really the only reason he kept getting promoted was because he and Michael? Totally a thing."

"What about Oliver Queen?" Felicity asked, discretely checking her phone for text messages from somebody.

"His wife, apparently she died, like not even that long ago, apparently that's why he came back to Starling. Poor guy" Anna gossiped, "It was front page news in the Gazette this morning, cancer, so horrible."

"I didn't get time to read the paper this morning" Felicity replied, feeling uncomfortable over her co-workers misplaced sympathy for her husband.

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><p>Oliver arrived in the office with the distinct feeling that the lobby had been oddly silent when he walked through for the amount of people gathered around. When he walked past Laurel's desk she was busy engaged in casual conversation with a delivery man. But walking into his office, he knew something was wrong.<p>

"Laurel!" He called, waiting for her to rush into his office, "What is all this?"

Laurel glanced around at the myriad of sympathy floral arrangements that had been arriving steadily all morning. "When people heard the news, they just wanted you to know they were thinking about you."

"What news?" Oliver sighed, the lobby scene now starting to make sense.

"The Gazette" Laurel stammered, "They ran the story this morning, about your wife, I'm really sorry Oliver."

"What about my wife?" Oliver asked, unconsciously twisting his wedding band around his finger.

"Her cancer" Laurel said quietly, but Oliver still didn't seem to understand, "That she died, from cancer."

"Laurel" Oliver sighed, "My wife is very much alive."

Oliver wandered over to his desk, placing a particularly large vase on the sideboard so he could get to his computer, "Gather up some trolleys from maintenance, then get all these into a van, we'll visit the children's hospital this afternoon."

"And those?" Laurel asked, pointing to the three delivery men who had arrived since they had been talking.

"Those too" Oliver added, "And tell PR to put out a statement, just the story was speculation, there's no truth to the rumour, no details."

"On it, boss" Laurel said, hurrying back to her desk to greet another delivery men, "Who knew Starling City had so many florists."


	3. A Lewd Suggestion on a Business Card

**Chapter 3: A Lewd Suggestion on a Business Card**

There should be a rule somewhere that after a certain amount of time you grow immune to how perfectly, inexplicably gorgeous a man can look in a well-tailored three-piece suit. (Brain to mouth filters should also be mandatory and function flawlessly.) Felicity's mouth grew dry as she watched her husband fidget while she put the finishing touches on her make-up for that nights' Glades Memorial Gala. Queen Consolidated was hosting the event to raise funds for the hospital in the Glades, which meant a long night of cajoling the idle rich for Oliver, and a night of trying to impress executives and potential buyers of her software for Felicity. Since they had decided to hide their relationship until after Felicity's software had been released and adopted by Queen Consolidated, it also meant a long night of pretending not to know each other.

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><p>Felicity's experience with five-star Galas was few and fair between. As a child, sometimes her mother had needed to take her into work when a function was on or when she'd picked up extra shifts at a catering service. Felicity had been left in kitchens, offices or sometimes coat-checks, where she had observed men and women dressed in the finery drinking wine, laughing and dancing. As she got older, she began to realise that these were the people who never had to make excuses to get out of group activities like movies or arcades because the rent barely got paid, and could always afford to buy clothes new, whenever they wanted. When she went away to college, she started waitressing for a catering company at galas, where she learned that middle-aged businessmen, especially those in the midst of a midlife crisis, usually tipped better if they thought they'd have a chance of sleeping with her. When she met Oliver she took extra care not to learn those douchebags names, lest she accidentally tell Oliver during one of her rambles and he ends up tracking the guy down and beating the crap out of him for being a scumbagpervert.

Walking into the gala, the room was filled with beautiful women and men in expensive suits. Waiters carried trays, balancing flutes of expensive champagne, and a string symphony played from a stage in the corner. She could imagine Gatsby entering down the staircase, welcoming the crowd to one of his lavish, extravagant parties. This was defiantly not her world.

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><p>Oliver sighed as he entered the ballroom. The blissful years that he had avoided this special kind of hell seemed a rose-tinted memory, a far away collage of sepia home-videos. Within the first five minutes, he had been propositioned three times, groped once, and had already been looking for ways out. He really should have gone to the game with Tommy.<p>

The extended cocktail hour finally ended, not before Oliver had secured half a dozen donations to the Memorial Hospital, been propositioned another dozen times and groped more times than he could count, mostly by Carrie Cutter, a bored billionaires wife he'd slept with six or seven years ago. He was seated at a table with two QC board members, a donor to Thea's foundation, his father and Isabel Rochev, his father's not-so-secret girlfriend. Isabel was five-years younger than his father, she'd had a meteoric rise through the ranks of Stellermoore International before Robert had hired her has his Head of Acquisitions. At some point Isabel and his father had started dating, although neither talked about it much. In the mean time Isabel set her sights on crushing and/or acquiring QC's main competitors with her own special brand of charm, intimidation and ruthlessness.

As entrées started to be brought into the dining area, Oliver began ribbing his father and Isabel about their relationship to the amusement of the others sitting at their table.

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><p>Felicity had been seated at a table with Walter Steele, QC's Chief Financial Officer and one of the few close family that knew who she was married to. Robert, Felicity knew, had seated her strategically, so that she was among the people she would be looking to sell her software program to. Harrison Wells from Star Labs had been a last minute cancellation, so he'd sent his second-in-command Dr Caitlin Allen, (and her husband Barry), in his place. Dr Wells had expressed interest in hiring her before she'd decided on working for QC, and had made enquiries about her security program. Ray Palmer, from Palmer Technologies, had been awkwardly flirting with her most of the night, but unless he suddenly up and sold his company, he'd be one of the key buyers for her software in a year's time. Slade Wilson, the CEO of an international private security company, with his wife Shado, were both intent on quietly observing the table's conversation. Floyd Lawton was the last member of their table, who'd come in the place of Amanda Waller, the head of another security company called ARGUS, which Felicity knew nothing about.<p>

So far the evening had gone quite well for Felicity, she'd only babbled a few times, hadn't greatly offended anyone, put her foot in her mouth or spilled anything on her too-expensive-to-think-about dress. Courses passed quickly as Felicity answered questions about her vision for the software that she was creating, deadlines and expected release dates. She sheepishly apologised to Ray Palmer for publishing a how-to on hacking his company servers as part of her thesis. (He'd been too busy flirting with her to be truly offended anyway).

Before she knew it, Felicity was sitting in the back of a town-car being driven home. She'd managed her first gala without incident and Walter had told her he was proud of how well she'd done. Her clutch was full of business cards with executives from various companies who wanted to be among the first to get their hands on her program, as well as the business card of one Oliver Queen, which had a fairly lewd suggestion for how she would be spending the rest of her night scrawled on the back.

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><p>Oliver's evening couldn't have been any slower. Countless board members, donors and other guests had to be coddled and gently manipulated into donating money or agreeing to QC business plansdeals. Although he'd finally forced Rochev to admit that she all but lived in the mansion these days, which was a small win in his campaign to cause his father endless embarrassment (without being drunk/high, getting arrested or peeing on a cop, unlike his early twenties). By the time the car had left the driveway of the venue, he'd already fallen asleep in the backseat.

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><p>The next afternoon Oliver drove himself and Felicity to the Queen Mansion for Sunday night dinner. Due to Oliver's recent return, there was more press than usual lining the gates of the property, so Felicity hid her face behind a scarf as they drove through the main gates, hoping no one had managed to get a photo of her. Oliver parked the car in the underground garage and they entered the house via a side door directly into the kitchen. Raisa was busy preparing the family meal while Thea sat on the bench chattering away and stealing slices of vegetables.<p>

Before they had a chance to talk, Robert summoned them all into the lounge room. They were rarely summoned, being summoned meant something really bad had happened. Oliver totalled a three-day-old Ferrari; they were summoned. Tommy got caught smoking weed behind the equipment shed; they were summoned. Thea got caught shoplifting; they were summoned.

Isabel, Oliver, Felicity, Thea, Tommy and Raisa sat in the lounge room waiting for Robert to begin.

"Am I going to need alcohol for this?" Tommy asked.

Robert ignored him. "Last month I sent Moira the last payment our prenup afforded her for the cost of raising children. As you know the woman blows through every dime I send her, and she has already been searching for new ways to supplement her income."

"Why do I have the feeling I'm not going to like this?" Oliver asked rhetorically.

"Because you're not. Our family publicist recently found out Moira has signed a book deal for a tell-all novel about our family." Robert continued.

"It's trashy, trite and incredibly cliché, why am I not surprised?" Thea chimed in.

"A friend managed to get a hold of the manuscript. I need to prepare you for what's in it." Robert sighed. "It reveals Thea's paternity."

"Is she crazy?" Tommy exclaims.

"I'm not done." Robert interrupts, "She also exposes the Sandra incident."

"What's the Sandra incident?" Felicity asks, as Oliver tenses uncomfortably beside her.


	4. The Sandra Incident

Thea Queen was worried, and angry, and worried as hell. Oliver and Felicity were her definition of #RelationshipGoals, and the only stable relationship she had ever been exposed to (apart from her father and Isobel, who spent so much time hiding their relationship even from her that they didn't count). So went Felicity didn't seem to realize what the "Sandra Incident" was, she was worried, and angry. Trust her mother to rip the rug out from under them without a care in the world as to how it would affect them. Just like when she had casually announced that Malcolm Merlyn was her biological father, over dinner, when Thea was only eight years old.

Robert Queen was the type of parent who encouraged their children to talk over whatever was bothering them. The honesty policy in their family extended from who ate the last cupcake to who you hooked up with at the last party you attended. But the Sandra Incident was never to be discussed. Thea could count on one hand the number of times she had seen her older brother cry, three out of four were a result of the Sandra Incident.

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><p>Robert Queen was angry. In fact, he was angrier than when he had found out about any of the numerous run-ins with the law either of his sons had, than when his wife used their daughter's welfare to extort money from him, or when any number of his employees had attempted to crash his company with their stupidity. In fact, if you combined all that anger, you would have about a tenth of the anger he was currently experiencing. Which is precisely what had Isobel so worried, Robert was no longer as young or healthy as he liked to believe. The man lived on a diet of caffeine and sugar to go with an extremely high-stress occupation; he was the prime candidate for a heart attack. Plus, he hadn't seemed to notice the tremor in his hands as he screamed down the phone to his lawyer.<p>

Isobel knew the basics of the Sandra Incident. She knew about the toll it had taken on Oliver, and on Robert, who had laid awake many nights worrying about his son. Despite not being a mother, she couldn't imagine how Moira could justify exposing this particular part of her sons' life.

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><p>When things go wrong in the Queen household, Raisa bakes, then she worries and bakes some more. While she does, Tommy paces, the length of the kitchen back and forth, completely silent, until the over timer dings.<p>

Tommy paces the kitchen back and forth, his thoughts raced at a million miles an hour, way too fast for him to put into words. He always did his pacing in the kitchen. When he was a young child, before his mother had died, Rebecca Merlyn was always in the kitchen. She baked and made meals to donate to meals on wheels. Being in the kitchen while Raisa stress-cooked always brought back noises and smells of his childhood. They had both helped Oliver after the Sandra Incident, Tommy had taken him out drinking to excess every night and Raisa had experimented with hangover breakfasts until she found the one that worked for them.

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><p><em>3 Years Ago.<em>

_Felicity and Oliver had been together only 6 months and they had been talking about moving in together when her lease was up in the Fall. In line with Oliver's newfound sense of responsibility they had decided to wait until after Felicity had met his family for them to officially move-in together, since Robert did own the apartment they would be living in. They were both doing well in their classes, and Felicity had a part-time job, while Oliver had been doing some volunteer work at a local boxing gym a couple of days a week. That was were Oliver had met John Diggle, a former soldier who taught boxing class to at-risk kids to keep them off the streets, as well as teaching them discipline and respect. Oliver had been training at the gym for a few months when Dig had asked if he would be interested in helping out for a day a week; he had even offered Oliver a free gym membership. It turned out Oliver had been great with the kids; he was strict enough that they did what they were told, but approachable and friendly enough that they felt comfortable confiding in him._

_In short, Oliver was good with kids, which might be a good thing because Felicity was standing in the local pharmacy staring at shelves full of pregnancy tests. Biting on her nails, she wondered whether she should buy the two-for-one kit, or the one with the electronic screen, was the cheapest one too unreliable? She considered calling her mother, despite their differences, Donna Smoak could probably tell you which brand of test to buy, and she'd be completely thrilled with the thought of being a grandmother. Maybe she should just go to the free clinic on campus?_

_Taking a deep breath, Felicity picked up two boxes, the two-for-one and the electronic screen, and headed for the cash register, keeping an eye out for anyone that she knew. Ignoring the judgmental glare of the older man on the registers, she shoved the plastic bag deep into her handbag and headed towards the doors. Now the question was were to go? She still lived in the university dorms, which meant communal bathrooms and zero privacy. Public bathrooms felt far too Juno. Oliver's apartment was only two blocks away and he was at the gym until late, so she decided to head there._

_Letting herself in, she dumped her bag on the kitchen table and decided to take a bath to calm herself down. Or avoid the whole situation. Since she had realized her period was late a week ago she had been pretty good at avoiding the situation. First there was the assignment she just had to finish immediately (even though it wasn't due until next week). And then there was the girls day she and Lyla just had to have, because they hadn't spent time together in ages (even though they saw each other at work every other day). And then there was the usual craziness of having two jobs, a full-time study load, study groups and spending time with Oliver. Yes, after all the craziness of the past week, she definitely needed a nice long bath. And to not think about whether or not she may be sharing this apartment with Oliver and a tiny human._

_Oliver came home from the gym exhausted, a full day of classes, two hours of coaching and an hour sparing with Dig had left him feeling as though he could sleep for a week. He kicked the door of his apartment shut, flinging his bag in the general direction of the kitchen table. The thud was the first time he noticed Felicity's bag as he knocked it off the table and sent the contents flying into the wall. It wasn't unusual for Felicity to let herself in while he wasn't home, sometimes the dorms got too loud for her to study, or too crowded when she wanted some time to herself, but usually she called or text him before coming over._

_He hastily shoved the contents of her bag back into it, but the white pharmacy bag caught his attention. More accurately the white pharmacy bag with the pregnancy tests spilling out of it caught his attention. Just as he was about to check whether the boxes had been opened a startled voice caught is attention._

_"__OLIVER!" Felicity yelped, rushing into the room in yoga pants and one of his old shirts, "I can totally explain that."_

_"__I know what it is Felicity, I've seen pregnancy tests before" He replied, placing the bag back on the table. "How long have you known?"_

_"__Known? I don't know anything; I suspect hence the test, that way I'll know. I could just be getting fat, which would totally explain this little bump that I swear wasn't always there, and my favorite shirt, doesn't fit like it used too. But then again I eat a lot of takeaway, which could totally explain the vomiting, I mean good yelp reviews doesn't always mean that Mr Wong's is the most sanitary place in town, or maybe it was the pizza place that we tried last week, it did taste a little funny and new places are always a risk. And the lack of period, well that could be anything, skipping can be normal, that's what the doctor told my mum once, I was eight, I don't think she realized I knew what was happening, and I don't know if you realize that dating you is actually quite stressful, not to mention two jobs and school and OH MY GOD!" She exclaimed, before whining, "Why do you let me do that?"_

_Oliver huffed out a laugh before closing the space between them and engulfing her in a tight hug._

_"__A week" She whispered, "A week ago, I thought I might be"_

_"__You didn't say anything" He replied, "Why did you wait until now?"_

_"__I've been busy Oliver!" She exclaimed, only slightly below her loud voice, "I've had school, and work."_

_Oliver looked questioningly at her. "I've been avoiding it," she admitted quietly._

_"__Do you want to take the test now?" He asked._

_"__No" She replied, deliberately refusing to meet his gaze._

_"__Okay" He stated firmly, leading her away from the table towards the living room._

_"__Where are we going?" She asked curiously._

_"__To watch TV." He replied._

_"__I think I might be pregnant, there's three pregnancy tests in my bag and you want to watch TV!" She exclaimed._

_"__You don't want to take the test now." He replied, completely confused._

_"__You're impossible." She exclaimed, storming away in the opposite direction, collecting her handbag as she went._

_Oliver's head was spinning as he heard his bathroom door slam. Thirty seconds ago, she hadn't wanted to find out yet, now she had stormed off into the bathroom with the tests. If she was pregnant he was in a lot of trouble._

_Not knowing what to do, he sat down on his bed and waited for her to come out of the bathroom. She emerged minutes later, more scared and worried than when she had stormed off. Sitting down next to him on the bed, she reached across to deposit her phone, with the countdown timer running, on his bedside table, next to a not-at-all-hidden box of condoms._

_"__What are we going to do?" She whispered, "What if its positive, I've never even seen a positive pregnancy test before."_

_"__I have," He confessed._

_"__What?" She turned to face him, "What are you talking about."_

_"__I can't" He whispered, "I can't talk about it."_

_"__Oliver," He looked more distressed than she had ever seen him, "You don't have to tell me, just promise me that you will, one day when you're ready."_

_"__Okay" He agreed._

_She crawled into his lap and snuggled into him as he wrapped his arms around her. Silently, they waited until her phone started to buzz beside them._

_"__It's time." Oliver said, switching off the phone's alarm._

_Hand-in-hand they walked into the small bathroom, lined up on the counter the three pregnancy tests were waiting for them. All three were negative._


	5. Connor Hawke-Queen

**Chapter 5: Connor Hawke-Queen**

Sandra Hawke was a naïve 16 year old when the little pink plus sign appeared on the cheap white stick. Her father passed away when she was only small and her mother had just finalized a divorce from her third husband and was currently in the market for a fourth. Telling her mother had been awful, her mother's reaction had been worse.

Although they had never been destitute, her mother's rich boyfriends or husbands had provided all the possessions that Sandra had ever owned. After years of using her own relationships to fund an extravagant lifestyle, Sandra's mother had no qualms about using her underage daughter's pregnancy as their latest meal ticket. But despite the example her mother had set growing up, Sandra had never felt comfortable with the way her mother operated. To gain her mother's favor, men would often offer to buy her things. When she was little she was offered a pony or a puppy, as she grew up she was offered expensive jewelry, clothes, shoes, handbags, but she turned it all down.

Within minutes of telling her mother she was pregnant, her mother was already debating with her lawyer whether they should demand money from the Queen family to keep the story out of the papers, or sell the story to the highest bidder. Not wanting any part in her mother's plan, Sandra had run, barefoot, without her bag or her keys or her phone, straight out of their penthouse apartment, all the way to her friend Carrie's house. Carrie had a massive, all-consuming crush on Oliver Queen, and the whole school new about it. The girl was majorly obsessed, but Oliver wanted nothing to do with her, baring a very drunken hook-up following a school dance.

Carrie had been extremely jealous when Sandra had told her she had slept with Oliver at a house party after a football game. But despite her hurt feelings, Carrie had been a good friend and driven her straight to Oliver's house when she showed up on the doorstep, distressed and barefoot.

In contrast to her mother, Robert Queen's reaction to the news his son was going to be a father at seventeen, made Sandra's head spin. He had been upset at first and given them both a lecture about the importance of safe sex and paying attention during health class. Then he began to guide them into making plans, how would they complete school & university, who would look after the baby, where were they going to live, where they going to be in a relationship, what would they tell people at school?

Her mother hadn't reacted well when Sandra returned home with Robert and Oliver Queen at her side. She calmly informed her mother that she would not be involved or cooperate in any scheme to take money from the Queen family or be paid by the media. It ended with her and Oliver packing all of her things while Robert had a very tense discussion with her mother in the kitchen, the contents of said discussion, she and Oliver never learned.

Sandra managed to hide her pregnancy for the rest of the school year, the only people that ever knew where her mother, Carrie and the Queen family. She planned to take a year off school to look after the baby while Oliver finished high school, then she would go back to finish school while Oliver took a year off to look after the baby. The Queen mansion had begun to feel like home and Raisa had been teaching her how to swaddle a baby and helping her order things for the nursery online.

Sandra had been seven months pregnant when Carrie had insisted that the two of them go to her family's cabin for a few days, as a sort of baby shower. They had been half way there when the girls noticed a car driving erratically behind them. It was Carrie who realized that the car belonged to Sandra's mother. Ever since Sandra had moved into the Queen Mansion, her mother had been desperately trying to get back into her good graces. But Sandra had a hard time trusting the intentions of a woman who tried to make money off her pregnancy and then kicked her out of her home.

The first time the car rammed them; Carrie put her foot down and desperately tried to flee. Sandra called Oliver, but he didn't answer. But Sandra's mother had not been deterred; she sped up as well, ramming their car three more time before finally forcing them off the road and slamming them into a tree.

* * *

><p>Robert Queen had come home from the office early praying that his son was actually home and hadn't snuck out again. He found Oliver and Tommy in the lounge room watching Disney princess movies with Thea. Oliver couldn't remember how his father broke the news to him or the drive to the hospital three hours away.<p>

The police had been waiting for them when they arrived. Elaine Hawke had been under the influence of half a dozen different substances when she forced her daughter's car off the road. Elaine and Carrie Cutter had died instantly when the cars had collided into a tree at the side of the road. Sandra had survived longer, but the doctor's could explain how or why. She was rushed to the hospital and straight into surgery to deliver the baby, but died moments before the surgeon began the operation. The doctor took over then and explained that despite the best efforts of the medical staff, the baby was deprived of oxygen for too long. The newborn baby boy was on life support in the intensive care unit, but he showed no signs of brain activity and had a zero chance of recovery.

A kindly older nurse, who reminded Oliver of Raisa, took him to the intensive care ward to meet his son. The boy was a good size for being more than two months premature but was difficult to see for all of the wires, monitors and assorted equipment covering his tiny body. The nurse sat Oliver in the chair despite the crib, telling him to remove his shirt before carefully lifting the tiny baby and placing him in his father's arms. Oliver held his son for hours as people came and went, doctors, nurses, social workers, all passed through the room one after the other as his father and Tommy sat quietly beside him. He decided on calling the little boy Connor, after Sandra's father. The social worker and the doctor returned to the room then, to go over their decision one more time. The birth certificate was signed, immediately before the death certificate.

Connor Hawke-Queen was born on September 9th, 2002 at 4:15pm.

Connor Hawke-Queen died on September 10th, 2002, at 7:56pm.


End file.
